Bylaw Review Committee

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The Board of Selectmen (the “Board”) at its regularly scheduled meeting of April 15, 2015, voted to rescind the votes establishing all previous bylaw committees (including November 3, 2003) and vote to establish an ad hoc Bylaw Review Committee for the purpose of reviewing and making recommendations to re-codify the Town of Norwell bylaws. The Committee will be a seven (7) member committee consisting of the following members:

1 member of the Board of Selectmen

1 member of the Planning Board or their designee

1 member of the Conservation Commission or their designee

1 member of the Zoning Board of Appeals or their designee

1 member of the Board of Health or Water Department or the Health Department designee

2 at-large members to be appointed by the Board of Selectmen

The Board asks those Committees with an appointment to the Bylaw Review Committee to make every effort to appoint a representative and inform the Board of the appointment by May 15, 2015. This will allow for the first meeting of the new Committee to take place early in June, 2015.

Other Department Heads and Departments that do not have a direct representative to the Committee will be asked to lend their assistance and expertise as needed as the process moves forward. The following staff will have direct, frequent, and ongoing involvement and provide assistance to the Committee, and the Town Administrator will appoint one of these employees (but not Town Counsel) to assist in leading this process:

Town Administrator

Town Planner

Building Inspector

Town Counsel

Health Agent

Water Superintendent

Conservation Agent

The Committee will establish its own work program, but the Board of Selectmen expects that at least the first phase of the work will be completed, including Planning Board hearings and recommendations, not later than January 15, 2016, in a format so that a Warrant Article or Articles can be put before the May 2016 Annual Town Meeting.

The Board anticipates that the phases of this project will be as follows:

Explore examples and review best practices, and develop a new framework for the zoning bylaw including establishing a modern and uniform format and numbering scheme; migrate the existing zoning bylaw into the new framework with minimal changes to the substance and content

Undertake the full review and recodification of discrete sections of the zoning bylaw within the new framework, giving a priority to Administration, Applicability, Definitions, Non-conforming Uses and Structures, Sign Regulations, and Parking

Undertake the full review and re-codification of the substantive sections of the zoning bylaw – Use Regulations, Intensity Regulations, Overlay Districts, Planned Development, and the like.

The Committee shall determine and request whether and when it needs funding for hiring outside assistance for its work. Initially the Board of Selectmen shall designate a portion of the Town Counsel budget towards this effort.